As I know quite a few of you cook at Christian conference centers and will probably be at this month's Christian Camping International conference in Savannah, Georgia, CCF will be represented there this year. Though we're financially unable to have a booth there (due to still being in waiting for our federal tax exemption 3 years after applying), God opened the door for us to be a featured organization there in the "Suite Receptions" on Monday night (December 6). If you're attending or if you live nearby, we could use some help with manning the event. I'm unable to get away from work that time of year, so Leo will be hosting it. If you're interested, please contact him at "leo@christianchefs.org".

Back in June, we asked your opinion if you would like to see a chatroom in CCF for general chat as well as interviews & scheduled topics, and we had a great number of people very interested in having it. Well, God has been bringing everything together enabling our building it -- and prayerfully, we'll have it all up and running soon. It will be offered through the Members Area to keep it more secure from spammers. If you haven't yet visited the CCF Members Area, feel free to do so here. If you have any problems with it, e-mail us and we'll get back to you:http://www.ChristianChefs.org/members

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><> ><> ><> CHRISTIANITY IN THE KITCHEN<>< <>< <>< <><

A Christian Chef's Secret Ingredient

Growing up on a farm in the Texas panhandle, I was surrounded by God's bountiful creations. We raised our own beef, pork and chicken and we always had a garden. I grew up appreciating God's goodness. It wasn't until 1989, however, that I admitted I needed God in my life. That same year I graduated culinary school.

Joining Mercy Ships (first as a participant in a Crossroads class, then as staff serving as Executive Chef) changed my life and put me on a path to get free from a life of drugs and alcohol. It also brought home to me once again how blessed I am to be able to do what I love and that everything I touch is a reminder of God's creation and blessing.

Over the years we come to understand that it is God who gives us the gifts and talents to be able to run a kitchen -- those gifts being the senses of taste and smell. When food is blessed by God, people may not understand it or recognize it, but they are consuming something which can have eternal significance. Otherwise, as chefs, we are simply preparing another meal.

One of the greatest and most gratifying compliments I've ever received actually happened twice -- once from a chef about 70 years old from Mexico City and another from a chef about the same age from Italy. They each came to me and asked me if I understood what made my food so special. "Years of practice, I suppose," I replied. "No. Anyone who has been in the kitchen can cook food that tastes good. What makes your food so special is your secret ingredient." "Secret ingredient?" I asked. "Yes. The secret ingredient you put into everything you touch is your heart -- your love. You can't buy it, or sell it, but you can give it. That is why your food is different."

Those remarks really touched me and made me even more aware of the necessity of asking God to bless everything I cook. Those two chefs were not Christians and they may not have understood the source, but they recognized the passion and love.

We as Christian chefs have the same thing to offer those we work with who may not be in a living relationship with God. We don't have to preach to them. Hopefully, through our example, they will know something is different. How we handle the daily stress of running a kitchen will say a lot. We can be there for our co-workers as a friend and someone to listen to their troubles and complaints. God always opens doors for us to share the source of our passion. It isn't our job to create the door -- our job is to walk through it when it opens.

I Corinthians 13 says "If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor, and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing."

We as Christian chefs have something to offer other chefs cannot give -- God's love and blessing on what we prepare. Our secret ingredient is love.

If God is speaking to your heart about these things, and you need somebody to talk with, please don't hesitate to e-mail us about your need and somebody from the Fellowship will contact you as soon as possible. If you have a prayer request or would like to start a theological discussion on this or any other topic, please feel free to post it in our Message Boards:http://www.ChristianChefs.org/forums.html

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><> ><> ><> CULINARY LEARNING<>< <>< <>< <><

Go With The Flow

Practicing Food Safety in a practical, applicable, scriptural way?! A wonderful challenge! The longer I live the more I realize that everything is in the Word of God. If it isn't apparently there, our Father will reveal to you through His Word the answer/solution to your problem, situation or inquiry.

"I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope." -Psalm 130:5 (KJV)

Hope is a real and living thing to us. It is what we walk in every day. In my effort to keep things simple and to keep things scriptural, I am amazed that it all comes together beautifully. Our Father is amazing that way.

There is a word that is at the heart of the most important and basic aspect of food safety - "wash". It's mentioned in scripture (depending on the version) up to 150 times. In the Books of Moses alone, it's listed almost 50 times. The saying "Cleanliness is next to godliness" comes to mind. Literally, it stood in between the people (even the priests) and the tabernacle. A priest could not enter into The Presence unless they had washed. (As an interesting side note, the bowl or pot for washing is defined as "properly something round, that is, a chafing dish for coals or a caldron for cooking". You could not get next to God unless you washed. As we walk in His presence in our job -- we wash. As the priests did -- we wash properly. (To read more discussion on this topic, see http://www.christianchefs.org/ubb/Forum9/HTML/000006.html) Let's agree that it is of basic importance in all we do. I instruct and reinforce on a daily basis the importance of the proper way of hand washing. I help that along by putting a "how to" poster on the paper towel dispenser. I encourage you all, if you haven't already done so, to go to a double-washing using a brush for washing the fingertips. We require this when first arriving for your shift and after returning from the restroom. When switching tasks, a regular 20-second washing is sufficient.

OK...hands are clean. Now what? Get to work! We all know that there is a multitude of things to do -- so how do we do it? First, work with an attitude of love. The bottom line in all we do is just that. We love what we do, we love who we serve, and we love our paychecks. Amen? Our attitude towards our job is resolved in how we show that love. How do we show how much we care about all those things we care about? By awareness, knowledge, and walking in it -- going with the flow.

As we are fed by the spring from within, satisfied by the water from the Rock, it becomes a river into which we plunge and go with its flow. We are told that our bodies are made up of mostly water, so it seems to me to be a natural extension of who we are...the ritual washing and the water that makes us grow. This is the flow that we can use daily in our quest for excellence and to show love by how we approach the issue of Food Safety. It is known as Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point, or HACCP (pronounced hassip). Many of you are intimately aware of this and incorporate it into your GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice Regulations) plan in your workplace. Now, some people still wince at the concepts and raise their hackles at the government trying to interfere with a person's creativity or sense of business as they want it. Okay, let's go to the Word. These concepts are:
1. Wise. In the world, the words wisdom, knowledge, insight, and power are used a lot interchangeably. In the Word, we know that wisdom is something that comes from our Father. Joshua was filled with the Spirit of Wisdom at Moses' laying on of hands in Deuteronomy 34:9. In Job12:13 "But true wisdom and power are with God; counsel and understanding are His." (NLT) All this to say, in wisdom realize that the other concept is...
2. From our government. Both the GMP and HACCP are based on law -- regulations defining and determining how we are to go about our jobs. As they relate to food, it's the U. S. Food and Drug Administration Food Code which is the basis for all the local and state health department regulations. As they relate to safety in the workplace, it's OSHA (and our local OSHA agencies)... and the list goes on.

To simplify, let's go to the Word. Read Romans 13:1-5. Read in Verse 4 "The authorities are sent by God to help you." (NLT) Check out the FDA Website and see that this is so. Why? Because we care. Hear also the words of Jesus our Master and their meaning when he said in Matthew, Mark, and Luke "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." (KJV) In Mark, he adds "And they marveled at him."
Keep it simple. Let us marvel at Him and "Go With The Flow".

><> ><> ><> ><> TRIVIA <>< <>< <>< <><

What are the TWO most popular procedures historically used to preserve meats with salt?
(Optional: please send any history, recipes, and other information you know on the subject.)

E-mail your answer to "trivia@ChristianChefs.org" with "Trivia Answer" in the subject column. Also, please tell us what brief title(s) ("Sous Chef," "Dallas, Texas," or whatever - see examples below) you would prefer for your name being listed in the next newsletter, as well as how difficult you found the question (so we can improve future trivia questions).

Solution to the last newsletter's trivia question:

Whose life was saved in the New Testament through lowering him down in a basket?
a) Barnabas
b) The paralytic in Capernaum
c) Peter
d) Paul

Answer:
d) Paul

Additional information found/submitted on the subject:
Most people this month answered "b) The paralytic in Capernaum", which is VERY close to being right. The differences are that he wasn't lowered down in a basket (but rather a bed) and his life wasn't saved through it. (Mark 2:1-12) To escape from Damascus, Paul was let down in a basket and his life was saved through God's hand in that. (Acts 9:23-25, 2 Cor 11:32-33)

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><> ><> ><> RECIPE <>< <>< <>< <><

Being a real hot summer where I currently am in Southern Oregon, we've been making mostly chilled soups for the restaurant. I made this and was very pleased with it. All the seasonings are approximate, but pretty close, so taste it to make it as you like it. Also, make it pretty close to when you're planning to serve it, as the apples will turn a bit brown.

Procedure:
1) Combine the apples, pears, half of the apple cider, lemon juice, sugar, and cinnamon.
2) Simmer until apples are tender.
3) Puree the mixture in a food mill or blender and pass through a fine strainer.
4) Add cream, check seasoning (cinnamon, sugar, and lemon), and chill.
5) Garnish with a nutmeg cream (whip soft peak, add nutmeg and powdered sugar, and put in squirt bottle to make your choice of designs).

We prefer to list recipes from Christian Chefs rather than from other sources, so if you have any good recipes of your own, please post them in the "Recipes" section of the Message Boards. Please include an introduction to the recipe with your personal comments of the stories that make them special, and if your recipe is chosen, it will be listed in our website forever and in our next newsletter.http://www.ChristianChefs.org/forums.html

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><> ><> ><> RECENT JOB LISTINGS<>< <>< <>< <><

More information on each of the below Job Listings, such as the job's timeline, responsibilities, pay, and how to contact the employer on each of these, can be found within the Employment area of our website (link below). There you can also find jobs that have been posted in previous months that haven't yet been filled and you can also post any job openings you have to be listed there and in this newsletter for FREE!http://www.ChristianChefs.org/employment.html

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><> ><> ><> SEEKING EMPLOYMENT<>< <>< <>< <><

If you are looking for kitchen staff and want to view more information about anyone listed below, each of the following listings is posted in the "Resumes" category of the Message Boards. If you are looking for employment, it's a free service to post your resume. Just make sure you include your name, location desired, and position desired in your post.http://www.ChristianChefs.org/forums.html

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><> ><> ><> RECIPE CONTESTS<>< <>< <>< <><

Please note: Contest Listing(s) below are for PROFESSIONALS ONLY in the culinary industry. There are many more contests available for nonprofessionals as well, some of them ongoing or being repeated on a monthly basis. If you're interested in those, here's one excellent website to check out:http://www.recipecontests.com

FOUR SEASONS - ENDLESS REASONS FOR AMERICAN LAMB RECIPE CONTEST
The American Lamb Board invites professional chefs and culinary students to submit an original American Lamb recipe that's perfectly served in either Fall or Winter, or during Spring and Summer.DEADLINE: August 13PRIZES: Grand Prize: $10,000; First Prize(4): $1,000WEB SITE:http://americanlambboard.org/?page=recipe_contest/index

KRAFT FOOD SERVICE A1 STEAK SAUCE OR GREY POUPON DIJON MUSTARD RECIPE CONTEST
Kraft is asking professional chefs to create a signature recipe using A1 Steak Sauce and/or Grey Poupon Dijon Mustard. Contest is open only to U.S. residents, 18 years of age and older as and employed as a professional chef/cook for at least twelve (12) months or enrolled in a full-time or part-time culinary education program in the United States.DEADLINE: September 3PRIZES: Grand Prize(2): (one per category): $5,000; First Prize(2): $2,500; Pierce Chicken Bonus Prize (see rule #1): $1,000.WEB SITE:http://kraft3.promotions.com/foodservice/splash.do

All contests listed above are provided by the company listed, NOT by CCF. For additional information on each contest, please contact the designated company for that specific listing. Enjoy!

If you know of any great hints or tips, please post them in the "Hints and Tips" area of the Message Boards. Of the ones posted there, one will be featured here in our newsletter.http://www.ChristianChefs.org/forums.html

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><> ><> ><> FEATURED WEBSITE <>< <>< <>< <><

Chef Talk

This is a website geared to those of us in the culinary industry. It has culinary learning articles, book reviews, forums, links, and a bit more. In all those ways it's very similar to our own CCF website, so of COURSE it's good! :-)

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><> ><> ><> CHEF TO CHEF <>< <>< <>< <><

"Cement floors -- OH the pain!"

"Hi! I'm just about done for this stint at camp, but I was wondering how you all fare on cement floors??!! Our kitchen is brand new--like 3 years old, but the floor is plain old, painful cement! We have the odd piece of rubber matting around, but it doesn't help out too much. This year, I bought myself Merrill slip-on shoes, which are VERY comfy, and then added the best Dr. Scholl's inserts I could find, and still my feet, heels, and ankles are killing me! Any advice? How do you all cope? Please tell me I'm not alone in this!!"
-Frontier Moe

If you're searching for particular instructions or cooking techniques or maybe have a special need, you can post these on our message boards. If you've done that and are still in need, please e-mail us and let us know so that we may highlight that need in this section of our next newsletter.

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><> ><> ><> A LITTLE SOMETHING EXTRA <>< <>< <>< <><

The most important thing in any prayer is not what we say to God, but what God says to us. We are apt to pray and then hurry away without giving God a chance to answer.
-North Carolina Christian Advocate

Or if you don't have web access, e-mail us at the below address asking to subscribe.

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